Green expected to lead men’s basketball team

It took all of six seconds for Garlon Green to steal the show.

Up first for TCU’s annual Dinner at the DMC Slam Dunk contest, the 6-foot-7 Green lumbered out to half court, surveyed the basket and lofted a bounce pass that landed about four feet in front of the goal. In an instant, Green met the ball in midair, weaved it through his legs à la Vince Carter and buried it windmill-style into the basket.

Tough act to follow.

What’s tougher, though, might be the task Green and his teammates have in front of them following an 11-21 season last year that included just two conference wins, both to a 10-21 Wyoming team.

So, who’s going to lead the Frogs’ turnaround this year?

Well, it starts with senior point guard Hank Thorns, who was selected to the All-Mountain West preseason first team. But Thorns, known for his passing, not scoring, certainly can’t do it all.

Enter Green, who made 32 starts this past year and averaged 11.2 points per game.

Along with Thorns, Green endured the low points of last season.

Heading into this season, Green is making an effort to keep a positive mindset and explain to newcomers how the Frogs fell so low last year.

“Really, I just try to remain positive and keep the train going like we talk about,” Green said. “We kind of improved the last month of last season, and it’s really just been trying to keep that little momentum that we had going and kind of explaining to some of the guys that weren’t here the reasons why our season fell apart last year.”

But Green’s efforts haven’t been limited to helping his teammates get better. He’s also put in the hours to sharpen his own game — something he said he’s done by spending hours watching game tape during the offseason.

“I watch a lot of film,” said Green, whose brother, Gerald, was drafted 18th overall by the Boston Celtics in 2005 and won the NBA Dunk Contest in 2007. “I kind of broke my game down.”

Part of that breakdown dealt with Green’s ball-handling skills. He saw that he needed to improve that area of his game and said doing so has made him a more versatile player.

“I felt like my ball-handling wasn’t where it needs to be,” Green said. “I kind of worked on that a little more just in case coach Christian might need an extra guard. I just want to be an all-around player for coach Christian.”